Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has disclosed that the Nigerian Army is carrying out a forensic audit of its units, formations and all operations across the country.
He said this is part of efforts to ensure prudent utilisation of resources allocated to it and ensure that they justify use of materials to prosecute their operations, especially in the North-east.
Buratai disclosed this yesterday in Abuja, when the principal partner of St Francis Xavier Solicitors, Ugochukwu Osuagwu, paid him a courtesy visit.
Osuagwu was the lawyer who prevailed on the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to disclose the content of Buratai’s asset declaration form in the wake of the Dubai property saga.
The army chief stressed that the army under his command had zero tolerance for corruption as every activity of formations and units was being subjected to thorough scrutiny.
According to him, the wastages of the past were being corrected to align to the policy thrust of the present administration.
He said: “My officers know how much I have emphasised the need for basic audit of our accounts.
“The military police is presently carrying out a forensic audit of every formation in the Nigerian Army and in particular our operations in the North-east.”
“We are looking into the details of how funds are utilised in all our operations especially in the North East in order to ensure that we justify what has been given to the army,’’ he added.
Speaking further, Buratai attributed the successes recorded in the fight against terrorism in the North-east to the judicious use of funds allocated to the Nigerian Army.
“Today the army can beat its chest that it has defeated Boko Haram largely because of the way funds have been utilised,” he remarked.
The COAS noted that “if the authorities had embezzled the funds given to the Army for the operations the feat achieved in the North East would not have been possible”.
According to him, the army remained loyal and committed to the present administration’s fight against corruption, pledging its full support to the government’s policy on transparency.
Buratai commended the effort of Osuagwu for making efforts to verify the truth about his declaration of assets before the CCB.
He urged other Nigerians to emulate the lawyer’s virtues of patriotism, selflessness, honesty and respect for human dignity.
Earlier, Osuagwu said his inquiry about the status of Buratai’s Dubai property with CCB was borne out of his quest for the truth.
He stressed that the revelation from the CCB document on the property owned by the Army chief should end the controversy surrounding the matter.
